


How To Make It On An American Quilt

by yanatya



Category: West Wing
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi, PWP, Standalone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-01-29
Updated: 2002-01-29
Packaged: 2017-10-11 08:24:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/110366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yanatya/pseuds/yanatya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh, Donna, Cliff, and Amy, trapped in a closet. What will they do to pass the time? Another response to the SotU Trapped! Challenge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How To Make It On An American Quilt

**Author's Note:**

> I sincerely apologize but I couldn't manage to work in M/M this time. No quilts were harmed during the making of this fanfic.

"I wanna show you something."

"What?"

"You have to come see." Donna tilted her head and smiled.

"Donna, shouldn't we - I mean, we can't just disappear. Especially not together - "

"C'mon." She tugged his hand gently and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "I promise it'll be worth it."

Cliff needed no further urging. He followed her out of the ballroom, down to what seemed like the lowest floor, through winding corridors to a door in a dark corner behind a staircase.

"Wow, Donna. It's a closet!"

"Shut up!" She punched him, smiling. "I went to a lot of work to get the keys to this closet. See?" She opened the door and pulled him inside. "This is one of the storage areas where they keep stuff the President's been given. Nothing expensive, but look!" She gestured around the room.

"That's a lot of T-shirts."

"And here!"

"Mugs. Say, does he get keychains, too?"

"I found this room on my first day here," she continued, ignoring him. She remembered that first giddy day they had been allowed to set foot in the White House - the actual White House. She and Josh had decided to run through every corridor and try every door. They had come back upstairs too late to pick the best office, but she hadn't cared at the time.

She walked a few steps farther into the room. "It struck me right away. Know why?"

"There are some pretty nice quilts here," teased Cliff. "Probably commemorative of something..."

She yanked the lapels of his tuxedo towards her and pressed him up against the wall.

"Oh," he managed before her mouth descended on his.

This was better than kissing Josh, she thought. Probably. Not that she'd ever done that. Cliff's smart and funny and cute and he's doing that thing where he pretends to not be interested in what I'm saying but he really is. And he's doing that other thing, with his tongue, which Josh has never done. She could get to enjoy this a lot, she told herself. Plus, there was no conflict of interest. Sure, she was getting a crick in her neck, but -

"Hey!" All of a sudden she was squished up close against Cliff. Something large and solid had pushed her. She shoved back irritably so that Cliff could breathe again.

"Hey!"

She turned around to see the door closing behind Amy. Oh, yeah, and Josh. Who had apparently backed into the small room, pulling Amy with him while he kissed her.

"Josh!"

"Donna!"

"Josh! What are you doing here?"

"Donna! What do you think I'm doing here?" he asked, exasperated.

"Josh! This is *my* secret makeout spot!"

"It is not, Donna!"

"I totally saw it first!"

"We found it together! Besides, I was the one who suggested we could use it to - " He broke off, suddenly aware that there were witnesses present.

They simultaneously turned to their dates.

"Nothing happened," they said in unison.

"I just wanted to explore - "

"Donna was dragging me around - "

"Excuse me?!?" She whirled around.

"I was humouring you!"

The hurt on her face made him backtrack.

"Donna - " he started.

"No, that's okay." She cut him off and composed her features, looking past him to Amy. "He's just getting hostile like he always does when things don't go his way."

"He wasn't this bad in the dorm," Amy remarked.

"Really?"

"Well, not the hostile part. The tactless remarks, though - "

"Running off at the mouth -"

"Yeah. We just thought it was because he didn't get out much."

"He still doesn't."

"I can tell that."

"Could you two not talk about me as if I weren't here?" Josh interrupted, looking back and forth at the now smiling women.

Cliff chose this moment to speak, having finished straightening his clothes and wiping off Donna's lipstick. "Hi Josh. Nice to see you under, uh, different circumstances," he offered. Josh nodded. "And you are - " Cliff extended his hand.

"Amy Gardner." She shook it.

"Cliff Calley. Oh - you're Amy Gardner? I'm a bit of a fan. You've done some good work." He gave her hand a little squeeze.

"Thanks." She smiled back warmly.

"Hey!" Josh looked back and forth between them. He pointed at Cliff. "You're a Republican!"

"Guilty as charged," Cliff owned charmingly.

"So Republicans suddenly can't support women's issues?" asked Donna, gearing up her outrage.

"Relax J." Amy wrapped an arm around Josh's waist to forestall another bickering session. "Don't get hostile. This is supposed to be a fun night."

Josh opened his mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again, thought better of it, and shut up.

The four of them stood in silence for a moment.

"So," Donna started. "You guys better get back to the thing. You'll be missed."

"Nice try," Josh shot back, rechannelling his hostility. "You've been gone longer, obviously. You should go back."

"I think they'll miss the Deputy Chief of Staff before they miss an assistant and a Republican lawyer." She turned to Cliff. "No offense intended."

"None taken. You're right," Cliff said gallantly. "We absolutely have more free time than Josh."

"Then I should get priority," Josh argued. "I need to make every second count."

"Count towards what?" Amy asked archly.

"Well, you know," he said lamely. "Um..." He turned to Donna and bellowed, "Leave!"

"No!" she shouted back.

"Donna, I hate to do this, but I'm your boss. I'm giving you an order."

"Your jurisdiction does not extend to places I can make out with my boyfriend!" she shot back loudly.

A knock sounded on the door.

"This is security. Are you okay in there?" a voice asked.

"This is Josh Lyman. Yes, we're fine," Josh answered in a more normal tone.

"Miss?" the voice queried.

"No problem, just a little disagreement." Donna replied.

"All right." The voice left them alone.

Silence descended again.

"C'mon, J. She's right," Amy said finally, tugging Josh's arm. "We really ought to get back."

Josh's eyes didn't leave Donna's. He raised a finger. "Punishment," he said.

Donna gave him a smug little smile. "You're welcome to try."

Amy pulled his arm again. "Let's go."

He backed away, his gaze still on Donna. "I'll do more than try."

"Shaking."

"Hey!"

"Don't point that finger at me."

"Uh, Josh?" Amy interrupted, thumping the door a few times to get his full attention.

"Yeah?"

"There's no handle on this door."

"What?"

"See?" She showed him.

All four of them stared at the smooth, painted wood where the door handle should have been.

"On the bright side," Cliff piped up. "We both believe you now when you say you never did it in here."

******

The pounding and the yelling hadn't worked. The security detail had either moved away on its rounds or decided to ignore any muffled sounds coming from the storage room. Neither had Josh's half-assed attempt to jimmy the lock with Amy's credit card.

They pulled some of the T-shirts down off the shelves to make the floor more comfortable and kicked off their shoes. Except for Josh, who was, of course, pacing.

"Padded rooms," said Donna.

"That's right, padded rooms don't have door handles on the inside" Amy confirmed.

"How does the psychiatrist get out?" asked Cliff.

"They knock on the window. Or make a sign to the video camera."

The others stared at Donna for a moment.

"Linen closets," said Amy.

"You're right. I've never seen a linen closet with a door handle on the inside," Donna agreed. "Do you suppose this counts as a really big linen closet?"

"Maybe."

"The French doors leading out the verandah at my grandparents' estate," offered Cliff.

"Remind me again how you didn't have a privileged upbringing?" teased Donna.

"Remind me again why none of you have cell phones?" Josh interrupted irritably, not wanting to hear any cute banter.

"Well, I don't usually get important late night phone calls," Amy said teasingly.

Josh looked down at her and smiled, remembering their first date. "But you're here anyway."

"Yeah," she grinned.

"Gross," Donna interrupted, watching the two of them. "Could we lose the Public Display of Affection?"

"Well, seeing as I just caught my assistant necking very unprofessionally on office time, in the office - "

"Me? What the hell were you - "

"Now, now, Donna," Cliff soothed. "The only thing wrong with Josh's statement is the 'unprofessional' part." He looked up at Josh, grinning. "She could definitely neck professionally. Ow!" he finished, rubbing his shoulder.

Something like a frown crossed Josh's face, quickly replaced by a blank expression. He stared down at his assistant for a minute. "Donna," he said finally. "Why no cell phone?"

"The only person who calls me at this time of night is you."

"That's not a valid reason."

"It really is."

"Donna - " He paused. "Never mind. Cliff, you're an important guy, getting calls at all hours that need your attention. Where's your phone?"

"Well, the important part is debatable," Cliff said modestly. "But really, when a beautiful woman" - he put his arm around Donna - "says she's leaving her cell phone behind because she doesn't want our date to be interrupted, the least I can do is return the favour."

"Date?" Josh turned to Donna. "Now that's unprofessional. You're supposed to be working tonight!"

"So are you!" she shot back, shrugging off Cliff's arm. "Where's your cell phone, buddy?"

"Well - " He paused. "Did you just call me buddy?"

"You forgot it," she guessed.

"Did not."

"You figured you'd just borrow mine."

"No!"

"Sam's."

"No!"

"You were going to spend the whole party sulking in your office, then."

"Donna!" He sighed. "I didn't want to be interrupted either," he finally admitted.

"Unprofessional!" she accused.

"It was just for a few minutes!" he protested.

"Really."

"Really," echoed Amy, dryly. "'Cause from what you said earlier - "

"Amy!"

"I have a condom," offered Cliff.

The others stopped bickering and stared at him.

"And that - that would - how would that help us?" asked Josh.

Cliff shrugged. He'd really just wanted them all to shut the hell up.

"You brought condoms?" Donna asked slowly.

Cliff held up his hand. "Just one," he said.

"Just one?" she pouted.

"Yeah, just one?" Josh chimed in, but was interrupted mid-snicker by a smack from Amy.

"Well, just one to the thing," Cliff said defensively. He turned to Donna and tried for charm. "I'm an optimist," he smiled. "If this was heading where I think it might - "

"Yeah," Donna agreed softly.

Cliff pulled her closer to him and squeezed her shoulders.

He looked up at Josh and grinned. "And then, if we ended up at my place, or her place, we both - Ow!" He rubbed his other shoulder.

Josh watched Donna whisper something chiding in Cliff's ear and saw Cliff nod and smile at her. Something clenched in his gut and he started pacing again to hide anything that might show on his face.

******

"I'm cold," Amy announced.

"Yeah, the heating in the lower floors is a bit patchy," agreed Donna. "Just ask Ainsley."

"Oh, right, her office is down here somewhere," said Cliff.

"It's a nice dress," said Amy, indicating her elegant, off-the-shoulder cocktail dress. "But you kind of have to stay in the warm."

"Definitely. Same here." Donna plucked at her own sleeveless, backless halter. "Josh," she said sharply, interrupting his pacing.

"Amy's cold."

"I heard."

"Josh, a gentleman offers a lady his jacket in cases like this," said Donna reprovingly.

"But then I'd be cold," Josh flipped back, not really paying attention.

Donna made a frustrated noise. "Come sit between Cliff and I," she said, patting the T-shirt beside her. "I'll find us a quilt."

Donna rose and Amy sat down in her place. Cliff immediately draped his own jacket around her shoulders and she smiled back at him.

"Ooh, this one's nice," said Donna, looking through the quilts. "It's a harvest theme. Very warm colours. And it's got pumpkins and corn on it."

"Sounds good," said Cliff.

Donna sat down on the other side of Amy and draped the quilt around the three of them. "We'll all be warm in no time."

Amy smiled. "Josh, I have to say, your assistant is not only cute, she's very gracious. Hospitable."

"She doesn't bring me coffee," Josh mumbled absently, staring at a spider web draped from the light fixture to one corner of the ceiling.

"You think I'm cute?" Donna asked.

"You are cute," Amy stated.

"Thanks." Donna gave her a friendly nudge. "You're cute, too."

"So am I," offered Cliff.

Donna smiled indulgently. "Really cute. But you knew that, right?"

"Right." He leaned across in front of Amy to give her a quick kiss. Which deepened rather quickly, all on its own.

Josh had been less than half listening to the background noise of the other three making small talk. The sudden silence, however, caught his attention. He looked back down and saw Donna and Cliff leaning across Amy and kissing. As he watched, Amy's expression turned from one of polite blankness as she waited for the kiss to end, to surprise, to something else. Her mouth dropped open. She gasped. Then she moaned, arching her back.

"Oh, god!" she groaned loudly.

Donna and Cliff broke apart and looked at her. Then looked down under the quilt, to where Cliff's hand had slipped into Amy's dress to caress her breast. They both froze, stunned.

"Um, sorry, Amy," said Cliff. "I thought I was reaching for Donna." He made as if to take his hand away, inadvertently caressing her skin again, and Amy arched against his hand involuntarily. He decided to leave it where it was for the moment.

"Don't apologize," said Amy, making no move to get away from him. "Donna, you okay?"

"Okay," said Donna uncertainly, still staring down.

"You know, your boyfriend has fantastic hands. Ohh!" Amy gasped again as his fingers, trapped between her skin and the tight fabric of her dress, caressed her nipple.

Donna shook herself and smiled back at Amy. "I know," she said, remembering. "I don't usually, you know, so soon after I meet someone, but man, those hands..."

Cliff rewarded her with another kiss and ran his other hand under her top to caress her breasts as well. A moment later he felt small feminine hands on him, several of them, running over his legs and chest and shoulders and groin at the same time. He groaned and broke the kiss with Donna, turning to cover Amy's mouth with his. "You have pretty good hands too," he murmured against her mouth.

"Mmmm."

Josh watched the three of them openmouthed. He had never seen anything like this before, at least not in real life. Cliff was tongue-kissing Amy while Donna nipped at his ear and neck. Josh stared at the tiny mushroom print fabric of the quilt as it writhed; who knew whose hands were where under there? How the hell did this happen? And so quickly? And why could he feel himself getting hard just watching them?

He stood rooted to the spot, getting more and more aroused by the sights and sounds in front of him. Several minutes passed before Amy's half-opened eyes caught his stare. She broke the kiss with Cliff, who immediately went back to Donna, and grinned at Josh. "You were saying you'd missed part of your education?"

Josh's mouth worked, but no sound came out.

"Hey Josh," said Cliff. "I'm gonna run out of hands here real soon. Wanna help?"

"Ah - "

"We're all in this together," Cliff pointed out.

"True." Josh agreed on that much, at least. He stepped closer, wondering what the hell was happening, and sank uncertainly to his knees in front of Donna and Cliff, facing Amy. "Uh -" he muttered, unsure of how or whether he should break into the cozy little trio thing the others had going under the quilt.

Cliff realized his predicament. "Ladies," he said regretfully. "I'm afraid you're too much for me on my own. Can we let Josh in?" He sighed as their hands left his body. He carefully withdrew his own from the two sweet, perfect pairs he had been enjoying.

Josh was stunned further when Amy immediately elbowed Donna, said, "Hey, cutie," and kissed her. And even further when Donna returned the gesture enthusiastically.

Cliff sighed. "Would you look at that." He gestured at the two kissing Democrats. "I wanted to suggest it, but I didn't want to get punched. Again."

"Yeah," said Josh. He couldn't seem to think clearly.

"I've got another idea," said Cliff. "How about a friendly competition?"

"Huh?"

"You take one, I'll take the other. We go down. First one to finish his partner off - "

"Excuse me?" said Amy. "Just because we're kissing doesn't mean we're not listening."

"I'm sorry," Cliff said. "You don't want to participate in the oral sex portion of the evening?"

"Hell yes," said Donna.

"Last one to finish," said Amy.

"What was that?" asked Cliff.

"Last one to finish wins," stated Amy. "Believe me, the longer it lasts, the happier we are." She gestured at Donna and herself. Donna grinned back at her.

"Yeah," Josh put in. "But the first one to finish gets to move on to the good stuff."

"You know," said Amy conversationally. "It's really hard to imagine why you haven't been able to keep a girlfriend."

"Hey!"

But Amy had gone back to kissing Donna.

"Okay, so here's what I'm thinking," said Cliff, watching Josh watching Donna and Amy. He paused mid-thought.

Donna had reached around and slid the zipper on Amy's dress down a bit, freeing her breasts. Donna now pulled her own top off over her head, leaving her naked from the waist up.

"Fresh start." said Cliff absently, staring at the very erotic picture of Donna rearing up on her knees, her head and long, elegant back arched impossibly, as Amy wrapped her arms around Donna's naked torso and crushed Donna's breasts against her open mouth.

"Right."

They paused again to watch. Josh shrugged off his jacket. It was getting warm.

"An even playing field." said Cliff finally.

"Sounds good," said Josh, distracted by Donna's little cries and the sight of her hips jerking rhythmically as Amy suckled her.

"So, uh, wow..." Cliff stopped again at the sight of Amy slipping her free hand up under Donna's short skirt.

They watched in silence a while longer.

"Uh, whenever they, um, finish, you take Donna and I'll take Amy."

"Of course," agreed Josh. Wait. Why of course? "What?"

"Fresh start," said Cliff. "You've never, um, eaten" - they both winced at the word - "Donna, right?"

"Uh, right."

"Have you?" Cliff pressed.

"What? No!" Josh said, tearing his eyes away.

"Right. And I've never, you know, with Amy."

"Yeah. Neither have I."

"What?"

"Huh? Nothing."

"Right. So neither of us has previous carnal knowledge of his partner."

"Okay," said Josh slowly.

"Skill against skill alone," Cliff explained. "That way it's a fair competition."

"Um, okay." said Josh. He felt completely adrift, like he'd entered some surreal alternate reality. "I have a question."

"What?"

"Should we let them finish?" he asked.

"I'd hate to interrupt them," observed Cliff.

Donna and Amy broke apart, gasping for air. Amy rested her head against the taller woman's shoulder. "So," she panted. "Are you boys finished talking?"

"Uh, yeah," said Josh, stunned yet again by the realisation that he was staring at his half-naked assistant and his half-naked girlfriend. In each others' arms. Practically post-coitally.

"Yes," said Cliff more smoothly. "And we'd like to show you ladies how thankful we are for letting us watch you together. You are truly beautiful."

"Uh, yeah," Josh repeated. He'd never thought his 760 Verbal would fail him this badly.

Cliff reached up and pulled some more T-shirts down. "Ladies, if you'd like to lay back and relax, we have T-shirts to pillow your heads."

Donna giggled at that. "So you guys are having a competition, right?"

"That's right," Cliff smiled, leaning over her and brushing his lips with hers as she laid back.

"So what do we have to do?"

"Nothing," grinned Amy.

"Well, if you feel like having an orgasm, that would be fine," said Josh, trying to get into the spirit of things.

"I'll keep that in mind," Amy chuckled.

"All right," said Cliff. "Ladies, you will be the judges and have the final say about who wins. We competitors will now take our places. I will have the honour of waiting on the lovely Amy, and Josh will be ministering to the sweet and luscious Donna."

"Sounds good," said Amy, who had apparently been listening to Cliff's 'even playing field' rationale.

Apparently, Donna had been distracted. "What?!" she screeched, sitting bolt upright.

"Well," Cliff began, explanation at the ready.

"Josh," Donna said more quietly. "We can't. You and I -" She gestured. "We're not supposed to do this."

"Uh, yeah, that's what I said," said Josh, lamely. "But - " All of a sudden, he felt something switch on inside him. He wanted this. He wanted to make love to Donna with his mouth. He wanted to hear her cry out his name as he made her come.

He recovered the power of speech.

"Donna," he started again. He wanted physical contact with her and drew her feet into his lap. "Donna." He looked into her eyes. "I would never do anything you didn't want me to. Say the word, and we won't do this." He paused to stroke her feet in what he hoped was a comforting way. "But we're safe here. We're with decent people. Noone in this room is going to speak about what happened here." The others nodded. "Cliff has his own reasons for choosing partners the way he has." He saw Cliff squeeze Amy's shoulder. "And this is about fun, right?" He grinned, and was heartened by her returning smile. "And," he lowered his voice and focused an intense gaze on her. "I want to do this for you. Can I?"

Donna seemed to visibly compose herself before nodding.

"Good." Josh smiled gave her toes a little squeeze before moving back so that she and Amy could get comfortable on the quilt. He looked over at Cliff, who was watching him with a strangely blank expression.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Cliff carefully. "I'm ready."

"Ladies, are you all right there?"

Two affirmatives drifted back.

"Well, let's get started, then, shall we?"

"Yeah." Cliff seemed to recover and grinned back at him. "Ready, steady..."

******

Josh experienced another moment of uncertainty as he leaned down over his assistant. Her skirt wasn't hiked up around her waist, but instead lay flat, where it should be, demurely wrapping around her hips and thighs. He closed his eyes, keeping that rather chaste image with him as he reminded himself again of all the reasons why he shouldn't just shove her skirt up and bury himself between her legs.

Donna had perched up on her elbows so that she could see what he was doing, and she didn't seem to be completely relaxed about the situation either. That feeling that had clenched his gut earlier had come back and now he knew exactly what it was. He was jealous. Of Cliff. And Cliff's funloving, generous good nature, which was undoubtedly what attracted Donna to him. A wave of possessiveness washed over Josh. All of a sudden, he wanted to make Donna want him and only him.

And, Josh reminded himself, she had agreed to give him his chance. Any thoughts he'd had about fun or some juvenile competition flew from his head as he focused on Donna.

He dropped his hands to rest on her thighs and felt her muscles tense up as soon as he touched her. She had let herself fall back on the quilt so that she couldn't watch him and though her legs parted slightly, it seemed to be a conscious effort on her part to relax.

So that was the first thing he needed to do, he realized. Donna needed to be comfortable with him. He slid down to the end of her body and pulled her feet in his lap again. Her head popped up, giving him a questioning look, and he smiled, telling her to lay back and relax.

Josh started with her toes, rubbing tiny circles on each one before moving to the balls of her feet. She gave a little sigh of happiness and when she propped herself up again, she was smiling. He met her gaze and grinned mischieviously as he tickled the soles of her feet. And ducked, as she nearly kicked him.

"Quiet," he said to her laughing face. "I'm trying to work on something here." He held one foot steady and sucked a toe into his mouth. She stopped laughing, her eyes going wide. He tickled the sole again and she started to giggle, trying not to kick him in the mouth but trying to escape all the same.

He laid her feet back down on the quilt and got onto all fours. He leaned down and pulled another toe into his mouth, then another, then another. He noted Donna's happy "mmmm" sounds as she let her head fall back on the quilt again.

His hands began to drift over her ankles, then calves and shins, as he nibbled and sucked at her toes. Eventually, he reached the back of her knees and tickled the soft skin there. She laughed again, drawing her knees up to get away from him.

"Hey!" she admonished him.

"Hey yourself," he replied. With her knees bent, he had to crawl closer to reach her. With one hand on each kneecap he pressed them apart gently and began kissing the sensitive skin behind her knee. She giggled at first, but stopped eventually in favour of making little noises in time to the strokes of his tongue. He spent a few minutes doing this, letting his hands stroke the back of her thighs, before switching sides.

He felt her limbs going languid even as he held them in place. Deciding it was time to progress to a new level, he moved his mouth from her knee and down her inner thigh, kissing and nipping. She sighed as she let the full weight of her leg rest over his shoulder. He repeated this with her other leg, running his tongue down her thigh towards her centre.

Deciding she was ready now, he slid his hands under her skirt and edged it upwards. Her hips came off the quilt automatically, letting him move the fabric fully out of the way. He began tonguing her thighs in earnest again, making sure that both her legs were draped over his shoulders. His hands had roamed over her hips and thighs and now moved inwards, drawing litle circles on the soft skin where her legs ended and her sex began.

"Josh," she whispered, breathing hard. "Oh, god, Josh."

The sound of his name sent a bolt of arousal straight down to his own centre. Suddenly he couldn't breathe. He halted his actions and sat back, trying to swallow some air.

"Josh?"

He looked into her heavy lidded, aroused eyes and his oxygen came back in a rush. He smiled at her reassuringly and hooked his thumbs under the waistband of her panties, taking his time peeling them off her and down her long, slim legs.

It was her scent that surprised him. Not because the fragrant tang wasn't enticing, but because it seemed so familiar. All those late nights in the office, those weeks driving from motel to motel on the campaign - at some point the perfumes or deodorant or fabric softener must have worn off, because when he inhaled, he found he already knew Donna's scent.

He breathed on her and nuzzled her folds, loving the slow undulations of her hips as she sought more sensation. When her hands wound into his hair, he gave in and kissed her. She arched up at the feel of his wet lips and he chuckled, settling his head down between her legs properly and snaking his arms under her thighs to pull her hips closer to him.

He kissed her sex leisurely and thoroughly before moving in with his tongue. She tasted like he always knew she would. As his long, slow strokes became more focused, so did her cries. He loved hearing her choke out his name each time he tried something different. He loved how responsive she was. And he decided that just this one time he would revel in the feeling of power she gave him when her pleasure eventually overwhelmed her.

He had been alternately sucking at her clit and scraping it gently with his lips and teeth, while his tongue caressed her opening. Now, with her wiry hair tickling his lip, he focused all his attention on her centre, swirling around it, licking it, sucking it. Her hips lifted up off the quilt and his arms came underneath her to support her as she pressed herself up against his mouth. Her cries became high, short keening sounds, as if she couldn't take in enough air. He increased the pressure and suddenly she shrieked out loud, a long, inarticulate call that finally trailed off into nothing. He heard her whispering his name over and over.

He helped guide her hips gently back to the ground and licked her a few more times with long, wide, wet strokes. She shuddered once or twice again as the last of her muscles released their tension. Then he covered her whole sex with his hand and gave her mound a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

Cradling her hips with his arm, resting his head by her navel while her long legs wrapped around him, he felt as though he'd just been part of a most amazing experience. It seemed as though she had surrendered herself totally to him. He was seized with a sudden urge to see her face, so that he could reassure himself that she felt what he did.

Her breathing was only just starting to return to normal as he relucantly freed himself from the intimate embrace of her legs and sex. He walked his arms up her body so that he could look straight down into her face. Her head was turned to the side and he gently cupped her cheek so he could look at her.

Still panting just a little, she stared back up at him with her wide blue eyes. He was speechless again. Though he'd never been good at interpreting the wide range of women's emotions, the mix of expressions on her face knocked him flat. He gazed down at her, mouth open, trying to think of something to say. Moments passed, and he realized her eyes were getting wider and bluer and wetter. He went with instinct. Never breaking contact with her eyes, he leaned down and covered her mouth with his.

He'd intended to be gentle. He'd meant to mask his own needs until he'd found out hers. But then she opened her mouth for him, and her tongue found his, and his intentions vanished. Her arms and legs wrapped around him, pulling his full weight down on her soft body, and he felt like he was soaring. He rolled them off the quilt and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close to him as possible, crushing her breasts against his shirt and her mouth against his.

Joy spread through him as he felt her tighten her hold on him. He wanted to laugh, to celebrate the fact that he was finally in Donna's arms. He broke away long enough to give her a slightly giddy smile. She started to giggle when she saw his face, but then choked as the reality of what they had done sank in. She buried her face in his shoulder.

"We'll work this out, I promise," Josh whispered, stroking her hair and hoping like hell that he could. She pulled back to look at him and he nodded and smiled. She kissed him again and he decided he was done talking for a while.

******

Once he'd heard Donna shriek, Cliff had wasted no time in pushing Amy beyond the limits of her control. Now, he moved up to lay down beside her, draping an arm over her lightly and giving her a quick kiss. Amy smiled and thanked him for a lovely time, then turned to watch Josh and Donna. Cliff looked over in that direction as well.

"I asked him about her right off the bat, you know."

"Yeah." It was all he could think of to say.

"Did you wonder?"

Cliff shook his head, looking away. "I probably should have known better."

Amy saw the expression on his face and decided not to pursue it. "Did we win?"

Cliff sighed and looked back at Josh and Donna, who were engrossed in what could not be construed as a casual embrace. "I don't feel like a winner."

"No," Amy muttered. She exhaled the breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"Do you still have that condom?" she asked a moment later.

"Yeah," he said, the beginnings of a smile on his face. "You're not going to suggest donating it to a good cause, are you?" He tilted his head in the other couple's direction.

"Hell no," she said, grinning.

She climbed on top of him and he grunted as she worked her hands into his pants. Remembering the pleasure he'd given her, she began to lick his erection slowly with long, wet strokes. She was about to take him into her mouth when he pulled her up to his face.

"I *really* hate to say this." He paused to give her a deep kiss. "But I've pretty much been ready since we started this whole thing."

"Okay," she agreed. "So let's get me all the way out of this dress."

He unzipped her in a flash. "You want me out of my clothes, too?"

"Nah, leave 'em on. There's something sexy about being completely naked while a man in a full tux is, uh, servicing you."

"I'm way too hot to put my jacket back on," he teased her. "So how do you want to do this?"

"The word 'servicing' is giving me ideas." She shimmied out of her dress and laid it carefully to the side.

"Wow," he said, eyeing her fully nude body as she lounged back on the quilt.

"You certainly know how to make me smile," she observed, taking in his lust-filled expression. "So, if you're ready - "

She flipped over onto her stomach and got up on all fours, presenting him with her small, white, rounded ass.

Cliff took a last look at Josh and Donna, who were still locked together in what seemed to be a neverending kiss. He fingered the condom in his pocket, recalling his optimism when he had put it there a few hours ago.

Screw it, he thought, fumbling as he rolled it over his dick. He looked up to see Amy watching him over her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He chose not to answer, instead running his fingers across her ass and groaning at the feel of her soft skin. Her hips twitched at his touch and she wriggled them back and forth a bit more, pushing her opening higher in the air. He used his thumbs to part her cheeks so that her sex was clearly visible. He inserted a finger suddenly, to check her, and she groaned and arched her back in response.

Deciding she was indeed ready, he guided himself to her opening and thrust his cock inside her. Even as she cried out in surprise, her walls clamped him tight.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she managed, giving him another squeeze.

Before he began to move, he looked over at Donna one last time and saw her watching him. She seemed to be caught between confusion and desire and grief. It was too much for him. He focused on Amy, stroking her slowly and taking his time to build something for both of them.

******

A few moments before her orgasm, Donna had thought, fuck. Why did I agree to this?

And afterwards, staring up into Josh's dark, desire filled eyes, she found herself thinking the same thing again. She'd thought she'd been able to control herself. Control her life. But when he began to lean down, lips parting to kiss her, she knew that her control was an illusion. She found herself giving in to the thing she feared and she had clamped onto him with her arms and legs, trying always to pull him closer.

She supposed she should have felt safe in his arms, but she didn't. Instead, she felt like she was at the edge of a precipice, about to roll off into a stomach-churning abyss, and as she gripped him tighter, she realized she wasn't completely certain that Josh was strong enough to keep her from falling.

She had no sure grasp of what any of this meant. Josh had made love to her, it seemed. And the look in his eyes afterwards spoke of some emotion. But she knew him well enough to realize that the words "We'll work this out" weren't a guarantee of anything - certainly not the security she craved.

She finally broke the kiss and rested her forehead against Josh's.

"Hey."

"Hey." He gave her a quick kiss and squeezed her tight.

She couldn't help but smile. "Thank you."

"Hey, don't thank me, I'm pretty sure we lost..."He grinned back at her stupidly, completely clueless about what to say next. She seemed relaxed with him now, though, so maybe this was the time to talk.

"You know what I mean!" she said playfully before claiming another long kiss.

He groaned at the feel of her lips on his and wondered if her mouth would always be this arousing. He pulled out of the kiss slowly so that only their lips were touching.

"I could do that for you every day," he murmured against her mouth.

"I'd certainly have no complaints," she cracked.

"Donna."

She realized he was serious. Her eyes drifted involuntarily to Cliff and Amy, who were laying together, talking. Her gaze met Cliff's, but he turned away. A lump rose in her throat when she looked back into Josh's intent brown eyes and she wasn't sure if it was Cliff or Josh choking her up.

"Josh," she whispered.

"Don't cry, Donna." Josh's thumb came up to brush her cheek and he dropped another kiss on her lips. "I would. And, if, for some completely unrelated reason, you felt like bringing me coffee..."

Her sob turned into a giggle. He smiled back and kissed her again.

Moments later, though, she remembered that Cliff and Amy had finished. Though Josh's body was presently blocking her view, she could hear the murmur of conversation. They were probably watching her and Josh right now. It was a discomfiting thought.

"Josh," she muttered next to his lips.

"Mmm?"

"The others."

"Hmm?"

"Josh." She pulled back. "We're neglecting our - " Dates. "Guests."

He looked at her with faint amazement. "We're neglecting our guests?" he repeated with a smirk.

"You said this was about fun, right?" she pressed.

"Right," he said warily.

"So, they're probably waiting patiently over there for us to come back and declare them the winners." She let her hands slip around to caress his obvious erection. "And maybe then we could have another contest."

Josh groaned at her touch, but looked over his shoulder.

"I don't know," he said. "They seem to have found a way to keep themselves amused."

Donna lifted her head just in time to see Cliff enter Amy. Cliff's eyes met hers just for a moment before he turned away. The lump rose in Donna's throat again.

"But if you want us back there," continued Josh, oblivious. "Hang on tight." He held her close and rolled them back, so that she was laying on top of him on the quilt.

Beside Cliff. The man she'd decided it was safe to date. Who was currently having sex with Amy, a woman who, if Donna were honest with herself, would probably be perfect for Josh. While Josh and herself -

"We're neglecting our guests." Josh chuckled again, kissing her and interrupting her train of thought. It annoyed her, just a bit. She had to figure out what the hell was going on, what the hell Josh meant for them to be, and soon. Before something really irreversible happened.

But as Josh continued to kiss her, she decided to put her thoughts on hold until she'd at least reciprocated.

She tugged open his shirt and trousers and began to explore him with her mouth and hands. His head fell back and his fingers stroked her hair as she worked.

******

It was Amy's sharp voice that jolted Josh out of the state of trance-like pleasure Donna had been weaving with her hands and mouth.

"So, Josh," she said, panting a little as she balanced on all fours next to him and looked down at his face. Cliff was still behind her, thrusting into her steadily.

Josh's eyes snapped open. "Little busy, here. So are you."

"Are you trying to tell me you don't talk during sex? Because - oh! - " she gasped as Cliff changed his anglee a bit.

"I try not to - ah!" he exhaled as Donna pulled his nipple into her mouth. "I try not to talk with anyone other than my partner."

"You don't want to go there." Amy said pointedly. "This really isn't a foursome, you know. It's, like, serial twosomes."

He groaned as Donna grazed her tongue across his belly and needed to recover before answering. "I'll be sure to clarify that in my memoirs."

"You could - mmmm! - play with my breasts if you wanted to take this to the - uh - next level."

He regarded her small breasts swinging rhythmically in time to Cliff's thrusting and realized he had no intention of moving his hands from Donna's hair. "You'd have to - ah! - move closer."

"Or you could move closer."

"I already did! I was happy over there - hey!" he exclaimed as Donna bit down rather hard.

"Yuwwuvvit," said Donna, her mouth busy.

"But then Donna - mmm - " Josh continued. "She told me we were neglecting our guests."

"Oooh! Neglecting your guests?" Amy managed to snicker.

"Hey!" Somehow, when other people were laughing, it wasn't as funny. "She's considerate like that. She'll make a great politician's wife."

"Hmmm. Or, you know, a political operative in her own right," Amy shot back.

"No. I don't want her to be like - " He paused. "That."

"Like...that?" Amy repeated angrily. "Not a good save, J. Like me, you mean? You - " Her breath caught in her throat and she moaned. Cliff had reached around to touch her clit and suddenly, the talking portion of her evening was over.

"I didn't mean that - Oh! Donna!" Josh cried out as Donna took his entire cock into her mouth without warning. Any coherent thought he might have had was now completely gone.

A few minutes later, Cliff, who had heard Amy's proposition, pulled her up to sit on his lap so that they could thrust together and play with her breasts at the same time.

A few minutes later, Donna, who had heard Josh's blunder and frankly didn't know whether to be pleased or completely pissed at him, found the sweet spot on his perineum and he shouted as he thrust upwards, coming hard in her warm, wet mouth.

******

In the end, none of them felt much like talking. Clothes were put back on in silence, expect for the men's jackets, which were wrapped around the two ladies. The quilt and T-shirts were refolded and shelved; they all sat on the cold floor. Josh had a proprietary arm around Donna, but neither Cliff nor Amy seemed to be able to muster the energy to comment.

So they sat.

And waited.

In silence.

After what seemed like an age, they heard a knock on the door.

"Josh?" a familiar voice called out.

"Sam!" Josh scrambled to his feet and pounded on the door. "Get us the hell out of here!"

The door swung out. "I thought security was kidding when they said this was the last place - hi Donna." Sam stopped babbling and peered past her. "Oh, hi, Amy. And, uh, hi - I know you - Cliff Calley, right?"

Cliff nodded.

"This sounds like the beginning of a bad joke," Sam continued. "A women's rights activist, a Republican lawyer, and two White House staffers walk into a bar - " He paused, seeing the looks on their faces. "Sorry. Not funny."

He turned to Josh. "We need you. That's why I tracked you down." He handed Josh a folded slip of paper.

"Right." Josh read it briefly, then handed the note back and strode out and down the hall. "Donna - " She ran forward to keep pace with him. "Get Mike out of bed. Tell him I need him here, again."

"Josh, you know it's only ten-thirty, right?"

"Really?" He stopped walking and stared at her. "It seems like a hell of a lot later."

"I'll see you up there," said Sam, hurrying on without them.

"We're all tired," Donna said softly.

He looked at her for a few moments, unable to read her expression. "I'm gonna need you for this. I'm sorry."

She tilted her head very slightly towards Cliff and Amy.

"Right." Josh cleared his throat and pulled Amy aside. "Amy - "

"You're going to apologize, right?" she said archly.

"I'm sorry - "

"S'okay, J."

"I'll call you?"

"Only if you have something to say." She turned on her heel and strode away.

Suddenly he was tired. He didn't even try to stop her.

Donna and Cliff were whispering a short distance away. Josh watched Donna kiss Cliff's cheek. Cliff left, his face expressionless, and Donna stood stock still, watching him go. She continued to stare down the hall even after Cliff had turned the corner and was gone from sight.

She started when Josh took her arm.

"Donna - "

She watched him open and close his mouth a few times, curious to see where he was going to start from in this huge minefield ridden mess they'd found themselves in. After a moment, he seemed to change his mind, shaking his head, and she wondered if he would ever voluntarily make time for this conversation.

"Donna, you know everything you pulled at Christmas to prep me on Texas?" He started back to their bullpen and she fell in step.

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna need the same stuff, except for Virginia."

"Okay."

"And that other thing the governor hauled in."

"Right."

He continued to list the things he needed as they strode back to the office.

She let her breath out in an inaudible sigh.

******

"Share a cab?" Cliff offered, coming up behind Amy on the curb.

She turned. "I think maybe that's not the greatest idea," she said ruefully.

"Probably not," he admitted.

She thought about how well her life had been going before Josh had wandered into it again. A month ago, she'd had nothing to worry about except learning to make balloon animals for her nephews. And, apparently, the possibility that she was dating an asshole. Oh, wait. A different asshole, she corrected herself. Now she was considering meaningless comfort sex with a stranger. For the second time in one night.

"God, I need a drink," she said out loud.

"I know the feeling." Cliff shivered and put his arm around her. He thought back to the perfectly nice girlfriend he'd had before Donna. Sure, things hadn't worked out, but he'd always known where he stood with her. Maybe Donna was his rebound relationship.

"Hopefully," he breathed.

"I'm sorry?" Amy asked.

"Nothing," said Cliff. "Here's a cab."

THE END

 


End file.
